3 more.

 

Nammazhvar’s four works are considered the Tamil equivalent of the four Vedas, The Vedas have six angas, and the six works of Thirumangai Azhvar are the angas of Nammazhvar’s works. Thirumangai Azhvar not only expresses thoughts similar to those of Nammazhvar, but we find in some pasurams that he expresses them in the same manner. In one of Nammazhvar’s pasurams on the Lord of Thirumala, he says of himself — neesanaen , niraivondrumilaen. Here Nammazhvar describes himself as a sinner. The same naichya bhava is seen in Thirumangai Azhvar’s pasurams on Lord Srinivasa, said Koothapakkam Chakravarthi Ranganathachariar, in a discourse.

Thirumangai Azhvar refers to himself as a dog, and laments that he has wasted his life serving others. He had valued familial ties. Only later did he realise that there is only one permanent relative that anyone can have, and that is the Lord Himself. Thirumangai Azhvar composed verses in praise of the deities of more than 80 of the 108 special kshetras, revered by Sri Vaishnavas as Divya Desams. Of his many pasurams on the deities of various temples, the ones on Lord Srinivasa are among the most moving. While having darshan of Lord Narasimha of Ahobila, Thirumangai Azhvar was seized by a desire to worship the Lord of the Seven Hills. But travel takes time. So he first bid his manas to make haste and reach Tirumala. He would follow later.

Thirumangai Azhvar’s verses on Lord Srinivasa are not only steeped in bhakthi and love for the Lord, but they are also descriptive verses. They give us an idea of the beauty of the environment in which the temple is located. Thirumangai Azhvar marvels at the variety of flowers on the hills, and records that red fish abounded in the water bodies of Tirumala.

 

parasara bhattars inteligence.

When a scholar called Sarvajna came to Srirangam to debate with Ramanujacharya’s disciples, Parasara Bhatta asked him a question. He said, “Can you guess how much sand there is in my closed palm?” Sarvajna was puzzled, for no one can count grains of sand and arrive at an accurate conclusion. Parasara Bhatta said that all that was required was a simple reply. Sarvajna should have said that Bhatta had a fistful of sand. Instead Sarvajna had said he did not know the answer. Could such a person debate with Ramanuaja’s disciples, Bhatta asked. Humbled by the experience, Sarvajna asked Bhatta who his father was, said Thenthirupperai Aravindalochanan in a discourse. When Bhatta replied that Kooraatzhvan was his father, Sarvajna said, “No wonder you are brilliant. Will a baby bird crawl, when its parents soar in the sky?” He then visited Kooratazhvan’s residence, and told Andal, Bhatta’s mother, that her son was so intelligent, that she would have to take care to ward off evil eyes.

Ramanujacharya had appointed Embar as Bhatta’s acharya and Bhatta had been initiated into Sri Vaishnavism by Embar. One day Kooratazhvan was explaining a verse from Thiruvaimozhi, and said that only those who had been initiated by Kooratazhvan into Vaishnavism must stay to be instructed. Bhatta, therefore, prepared to leave. But Kooratazhvan stopped him and said, “It is true that I said only my disciples should listen to my lessons. Your Acharya Embar’s house is close by. But in human life, nothing is certain. What if something unfortunate happens before you reach his place? Sacred texts must be learned without delay, because of the sudden twists in life.” So devoted was Kooratazhvan to the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya, that he was keen to teach Bhatta the verses of the Azhvars at once.

 

v d wealth

 

Vedanta Desika’s indifference to wealth is evident in his Vairagya Panchaka. He was not tempted by its attractions. He saw no need to accumulate wealth, or to be attached to it. We think that without wealth, we cannot meet even our basic needs. But Desika shows us that these needs can be met easily, said V.K.S.N. Raghavan in a discourse on Vairagya Panchaka.

Can we not eat the grains scattered in a field to satisfy our hunger? Can we not just take a fistful of water from a pond to quench our thirst? Can a small piece of cloth not serve as loincloth? When our daily needs can be met thus, what is the need to praise kings to get gifts from them? To do so is a miserable state of affairs. There is a fire in the stomach called Jataragni. This fire causes hunger. Desika does not care if this fire of hunger were to burn intensely. That is no reason to praise kings for their rewards. He says his speech has the fragrance of a flower, and will not be used to praise mortals. It is intended only to sing the praises of Lord Narayana. The practice of waiting on the pyol of a rich man’s house, hoping to gain material benefits from him, is disagreeable.

Desika has a huge wealth, namely, the One who gave the world the Bhagavad Gita. When Lord Krishna, the charioteer of Arjuna, is with Desika, will he desire any other wealth? Krishna, the One who lifted the Govardhana hill to protect the Gopas, Gopikas and their cattle, is the Lord who is permanently in Desika’s heart. All wealth is perishable. But the Supreme One worshipped by Desika is an imperishable wealth. And so, Desika shuns the pursuit of wealth. In the fifth verse of Vairagya Panchaka, Desika uses the word ‘ dhanam’, meaning wealth, 11 times, to show that true wealth is the Lord.